Libyans vote in first election in 60 years

A Libyan woman votes at a polling station in the old city of Tripoli, July 7.

Zohra Bensemra / Reuters

Women wave to a helicopter during the National Assembly election at a polling station in Tripoli July 7. Libyans queued to vote in their first free national election in 60 years on Saturday, to choose a 200-member assembly.

Manu Brabo / AP

Libyan men hold their elections ID cards celebrating election day in Tripoli, Libya, Saturday, July 7. Jubilant Libyan voters marked a major step toward democracy after decades of erratic one-man rule, casting their ballots Saturday in the first parliamentary election after last year's overthrow and killing of longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi. But the joy was tempered by boycott calls, the burning of ballots and other violence in the country's restive east.

By msnbc.com news services:Libyans began voting in their first free national election in 60 years on Saturday, a poll designed to shake off the legacy of Moammar Gadhafi but which risks being hijacked by autonomy demands in the east and unrest in the desert south.

Voters will choose a 200-member assembly which will elect a prime minister and cabinet before laying the ground for full parliamentary elections next year under a new constitution. Full story.

Mohammed Abed / AFP - Getty Images

A Libyan protester demanding greater representation throws torn ballots in the air outside a polling station in the eastern city of Benghazi on July 7. Hundreds of protesters burned ballots to demand greater representation although most residents of the Mediterranean city of Benghazi voted in historic elections vowing to build a new Libya.